Advertise on podcast: Fareed Zakaria GPS

On today’s program: according to Frances Lee, professor of politics and public affairs at Princeton University, the U.S. is in an “unusual” political period where the two major parties have been evenly matched, so the pendulum swings from one party to the other. She joins Fareed to discuss this week’s midterm elections. Then, Tuesday’s election in Israel ended in political gridlock. What does that mean for the country? Fareed asks Israeli investigative journalist Ronen Bergman. Later, prediction markets had given incumbent President Lula da Silva a ~20% chance of winning the second round of Brazil’s election last weekend. How did he defy the odds? Fareed speaks with Brian Winter, editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly. Finally, Fareed speaks with author Anand Giridharadas about his new book, “Man in the Mirror,” which documents the infamous 2023 killing of Jordan Neely, a homeless Black man, by former US Marine Daniel Penny on the New York City subway. GUESTS: Frances E. Lee; Ronen Bergman (@ronenbergman); Brian Winter (@BrazilBrian); Anand Giridharadas (@AnandWrites) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Fareed Zakaria on the Global Public Square as we explore today's biggest geopolitical and domestic challenges, from US-Russia relations, and European strategy to upcoming critical elections. Insightful discussions with experts like Radek Sikorski and Nate Silver await you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Canada and the US have long enjoyed the ultimate friendly-neighbor arrangement — defined by close economic ties, shared security interests and mutual trust. Then came Donald Trump, whose aggressive trade policy against Canada has led to an all-out trade war in his second term. Fareed sits down to discuss with former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. Donald Trump is facing backlash — even from Republicans — over his Russian diesel deal, which could hand Vladimir Putin a financial lifeline. But will the deal even do what Trump wants it to do, which is to help US consumers? Fareed asks Jason Bordoff, a former Obama White House senior energy policy official. Saudi Arabia has the biggest economy in the Middle East, and one of the world's most expensive military arsenals. So why is it so vulnerable to attacks from the Houthis, the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group? Fareed asks Bernard Haykel, professor of Near Eastern studies at Princeton. GUESTS: Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland); Jason Bordoff (@JasonBordoff); Bernard Haykel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fareed Zakaria discusses France’s student protests, debt crisis, and upcoming elections with Sophie Pedder. Kim Ghattas explores Middle East conflicts and her new book, The Best Kind of American. Rana Foroohar examines Trump’s Greenland ambitions and growing Arctic tensions. Finally, Michael Lewis shares stories of federal workers who resisted Elon Musk’s DOGE in his new book, Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State. GUESTS: Sophie Pedder (@PedderSophie), Kim Ghattas (@KimGhattas), Rana Foroohar (@ranaforoohar), Michael Lewis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fareed sits down with the ever-opinionated comedian Bill Maher, who aims his political arrows at both the right and the left, to discuss the midterm elections and the future of the Democratic Party. Then, Fareed hears from Brett McGurk, former Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa under President Biden. McGurk has a new book out on his most recent spell in the White House called "Brink: Inside the Race to Free the October 7 Hostages." Later, AI is not one-size-fits-all. It presents very different opportunities — and risks — for developed countries and developing countries. Fareed speaks with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and World Bank President Ajay Banga to discuss how this technology is being used in different parts of the world. Finally, despite all the stressors on the global economy, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala still says she is fundamentally optimistic about the future of free trade. She joins Fareed to discuss what is giving her hope. GUESTS: Bill Maher (@billmaher), Brett McGurk (@brett_mcgurk), Kyriakos Mitsotakis (@kmitsotakis), Ajay Banga, Ngozi Okonio-Iweala (@NOIweala) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on a special UNGA edition of the show, Fareed speaks with the leaders of two nations that have been ardent supporters of Ukraine since the war: Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, of Norway, and President Alexander Stubb, of Finland, about the prospects for peace. Then, Fareed sits down with France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot to discuss France’s leadership in pushing for a more integrated and independent Europe, and the surge in French right-wing populism. Later, Remember the "Butcher of Bosnia"? AKA Ratko Mladić, the Bosnian-Serb commander convicted of war crimes for his role in the Balkans war of the 1990s? He received a hero's funeral in Serbia with military honors after his death last month. This comes amid a worrying surge in Serbian nationalism. Fareed asks the Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić about it. Finally, Bill Gates joins Fareed to discuss how to mitigate the risks posed by AI and whether there are certain jobs that should always remain in the hands of human beings. Guests: Jonas Gahr Støre (@jonasgahrstore), Alexander Stubb (@alexstubb), Jean-Noël Barrot (@jnbarrot), Aleksandar Vučić (@avucic), Bill Gates (@BillGates) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fareed speaks with Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman about issues roiling the AI industry and scaring the public, and about whether AI should be regulated.  Also, the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, the Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen, is escalating. Fareed speaks with the director of the Atlantic Council’s Project for Middle East Integration, Allison Minor, about the widening regional conflict and the implications for the global oil market.   GUESTS: Mustafa Suleyman (@mustafasuleyman), Allison Minor (@AllisonMinor_), Jacob Weisberg (@jacobwe), Dana Bash (@DanaBashCNN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the show from Kyiv, Fareed speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the war entering an even more dangerous phase, and what the path forward looks like. Then, Fareed is joined by Poland’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister Radek Sikorski to discuss Russia’s threats to NATO and Europe’s support for Ukraine. Later, Fareed speaks with a Ukrainian commander whose deep strike unit is taking the fight right to the heart of Russia, as intensified air warfare transforms the conflict’s dynamics. Finally, Fareed talks to Iryna Chechotkina, the co-founder and co-owner of Rosetta, an e-commerce giant that is often called the "Amazon of Ukraine" about the company’s rise and resolve amid Russian attacks. Guests: Volodymyr Zelensky (@ZelenskyyUa), Radek Sikorski (@sikorskiradek), ‘Vector’, Irina Chechotkina Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the show, twenty-five years after 9/11, America is still living with the consequences of the war on terror. It produced major tactical successes, at enormous human and financial cost. Fareed speaks with CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen, author of "All the Presidents’ Wars," about the legacy of America’s war on terror. Then, Fareed talks to Derek Thompson, host of the podcast “Plain English” and author on Substack, about his deep dive into the “megatrends” that he sees defining the news cycle in 2026 including AI’s impact on jobs and media, social isolation, and global violence. Finally, there are many signs that liberal democracy itself may be in retreat — from the rise of authoritarianism around the globe to deepening political polarization and declining public trust. At the Aspen Ideas Festival, Fareed sits down for a wide-ranging conversation on the topic with three terrific guests: political scientist Francis Fukuyama, former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada Chrystia Freeland and New York Times columnist David French. GUESTS: Peter Bergen (@peterbergencnn), Derek Thompson (@DKThomp), Francis Fukuyama (@FukuyamaFrancis) Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland), David French (@DavidAFrench) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What does it mean when a President claims, 'when the president does it, that means it's not illegal'? Unpack the implications with us in our latest special report. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the show, Trump cut short military drills between the US and South Korea this week, saying that they sent the wrong signal to the "unthreatening and respectful" North Korea. Fareed asks former NSA official and scholar Victor Cha if Trump is throwing over one longtime US ally to court a rogue state...again? Then, China spends a fraction of what the US does on data centers and lacks the most advanced AI chips. Why, then, does its AI industry appear to be catching up, and rivaling Silicon Valley? Fareed discusses with Evan Osnos, staff writer at the New Yorker. Later, Fareed speaks to climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe about this summer of record heat and raging wildfires in many parts of the world, and climate change’s role in all of it. Finally, the V-Dem Institute’s latest Democracy Report has downgraded the US from a liberal democracy to an electoral democracy. Why is American democracy in decline? Fareed asks Nobel Prize winning economist Daron Acemoglu. GUESTS: Victor Cha (@VictorDCha); Evan Osnos (@eosnos); Katharine Hayhoe (@KHayhoe); Daron Acemoglu (@DAcemogluMIT) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the show, President Trump's plane switch after last month's NATO summit was said to be in response to an assassination threat from Iran. It begs the question: How credible are Iran's threats against the president and, more broadly, against the United States? Fareed asks David Sanger of the New York Times. Then, it’s been five years since the US’ tumultuous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Fareed talks to Jason Kander, a veteran of America’s war there, about what has happened to the thousands of Afghan allies who aided American forces during the war but are now trapped in the country under Taliban rule. Later, Fareed speaks with Asutosh Padhi, a senior partner at McKinsey about why despite the hype, AI has yet to dramatically reshape the way many businesses operate, or deliver meaningful returns. Finally, worries of mass layoffs thanks to AI haven’t materialized yet, but what happens if those fears become reality? Fareed asks former US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. GUESTS: David Sanger (@SangerNYT), Jason Kander (@JasonKander), Asutosh Padhi, Gina Raimondo (@GinaRaimondo) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When a Russian-born American citizen named Ilya Beloozerov is gunned down by the FBI in 2024, the authorities refuse to say why they’d killed him. CNN’s Isabelle Chapman embarks on a sprawling investigation that takes her from the Mississippi parking lot where he died to Washington, D.C. to unravel the mystery: Why did Ilya abruptly leave his family and his job and head for the border with laptops and cash? Why is there still no official explanation of his death? And maybe most importantly: Was Ilya a spy?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the show, after the destabilizing Iran war and a new NATO-style defense alliance between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, is the Gulf moving toward a new, post-American order? Fareed speaks with Tarek Masoud, director of the Middle East Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Danny Citrinowicz, former head of the Iran branch of Israel’s military intelligence. Then, Russia's war in Ukraine is increasingly being fought in the skies. Russia bombarded Kyiv this week with ballistic missiles and Ukraine has recently successfully struck targets deep in Russian territory. Fareed discusses with Ben Hodges, the former commanding general of US Army Europe. Finally, last week, more than 70,000 migrants from Morocco arrived on the shores of Ceuta, a Spanish territory in North Africa. It appeared to be a coordinated event. So who was behind it? Fareed talks to Anne Applebaum of The Atlantic. GUESTS: Tarek Masoud, Danny Citrinowicz (@citrinowicz), Ben Hodges (@general_ben), Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the show, the Iran war seems to be caught between sudden outbursts of fighting and fragile pauses for diplomacy. How are Iranians responding? Fareed asks Abdi Latif Dahir of The New York Times, who just spent 10 days in Iran after he was granted rare access to report on last month’s funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Then, despite a June memorandum on hostilities, the US and Iran remain locked in a tit-for-tat conflict. Does Iran want a deal? Fareed speaks with Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House. Later, Black fourth-graders in Mississippi now score higher in reading, on average, than those in Massachusetts. For a state with historically weak educational rankings, how did they make such remarkable progress? Fareed talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nicholas Kristof. Finally, when Theo Baker enrolled at Stanford University he was passionate about coding and excited to be in Silicon Valley. But over time, he grew troubled by what he saw as the influence of big tech over the university. He has written a new book about this and more, called “How to Rule the World: An Education in Power at Stanford University.” GUESTS: Abdi Latif Dahir (@Lattif); Sanam Vakil (@SanamVakil); Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof); Theo Baker (@tab_delete) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices